How can heroin addicts be treated? Describe treatment of heroin
addicts/abusers.

Answer:

There are many ways to treat heroin addicts. A long-term user (someone who
has used for over a year) often has to use Methadone for a long time to diminish the strong withdrawal
symptoms of the addiction. By using this substance, patients can stabilize
and start revalidation or rehabilitation. However, some patients will
never be able to stay abstinent for a long time. In that case, it is
better to focus on decreasing the physical risk and the chance of death. Continued use of Methadone without tapering off is allowed in many countries.

Psychosocial treatments are effective parts of a total treatment plan of
patients with opiate disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral
therapy, psychodynamic therapy, group therapy and family therapy can be
effective with heroin dependence. The choice for a certain treatment
should be made after it is obvious what the patient wants, what problems
should be solved, whether there are any other psychological problems and
what have been the results of earlier treatments.

A patient with mild or moderate withdrawal symptoms can sometimes deal
with these problems at home. The treatment of a heroin withdrawal syndrome
is usually focused on relief of the critical symptoms and the motivation
to take part in a long-term treatment of heroin addiction. Methadone can be prescribed temporarily and also Clonidine can be used to suppress the withdrawal symptoms. The use of other narcotics can interfere with or complicate the attempt to kick the habit.

The success of the treatment depends on various things:

The quantity and the kind of substances used.

The severity of the disorder and the consequences.

Simultaneous physical and/or psychological disorders.

The strong and weak characteristics of the patient.

The patient's motivation!!!

The social surroundings of the patient (friends, acquaintances,
colleagues, family, etc.)

There are other medicines similar to Methadone, such as Subutex, Subuxone and LAAM (a long-acting preparation).

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